E-Cigarettes: A Brief Timeline
Electronic cigarettes are basically a new phenomenon in the United States, and a lot of people (including smokers) still have not heard about them. But they have been around for years in other parts of the world.
Here is a brief timeline of the electronic cigarette (e-cig for short):
2003 – Beijing based SBT Co. registered a patent for the first e-cig.
2004 – Ruyan, another Beijing company, is now the head; they merged with SBT Co to become SBT Ruyan Technology & Development Co.
oMay 2004: Ruyan sells its first cigarette in China; sales for 2004 total 1.7 million US dollars.
2005 – Sales reach 17 million US dollars
2006 – Sales reach 37 million US dollars
oApril 2006: Ruyan introduces the e-cig in Europe
July 2009 – The FDA releases a warning against electronic cigarettes and states that they may be unfairly marketed to young people.
January 2010 – A federal judge stops the FDA from blocking e-cigs coming into the country from China.
February 2010 – FDA files an appeal of Judge Leon’s ruling.
March 2010 – US Court of Appeals overturns Judge Leon’s ruling, giving the FDA the power to ban e-cig imports.
I wanted to share this information because a lot of people might be interested in e-cigs, but dont want to try something completely new, fearing that it hasnt been properly tested or might be unsafe. But as you can see, the e-cig has been manufactured, tested, and distributed long before its arrival here in the United States.
Hope this helps any of you who are sitting on the fence wondering if you should give them a try.